{"id":26201,"date":"2021-01-21T15:56:50","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T15:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/01\/21\/as-5g-auction-continues-pentagon-turns-to-safety-risk-mitigation-plans\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:16:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:16:36","slug":"as-5g-auction-continues-pentagon-turns-to-safety-risk-mitigation-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2021\/01\/21\/as-5g-auction-continues-pentagon-turns-to-safety-risk-mitigation-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"As 5G auction continues, Pentagon turns to safety planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The Defense Department will focus on preventing interference to aviation instruments rather than trying to stop the Federal Communications Commission from auctioning C-band spectrum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/2020\/12\/09\/defense-policy-bill-prepares-pentagon-for-operational-5g\/\" target=_blank>used for 5G communication<\/a>, officials tell Defense News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon\u2019s decision comes despite industry\u2019s concerns <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/2020\/12\/21\/the-military-is-scrambling-to-understand-the-aviation-crash-risk-from-a-new-5g-sale\/\" target=_blank>about the functionality of a key aviation technology<\/a>, which led to a Dec. 1 memo from the head of the Federal Aviation Administration and the number two at the Department of Transportation requesting the FCC pause the sale. The letter was sent after an aviation trade group found that 5G operations could cause <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/12\/03\/pilots-maintainers-are-worn-out-and-under-trained-aviation-safety-commission-says\/\" target=_blank>harmful interference<\/a> to radar altimeters, which are used by civil, military and commercial airplanes and helicopters to measure the distance between the aircraft and the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But rather than push back at the FCC, Pentagon officials believe their energies are best spent focused on studying how the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/5g\/2020\/10\/08\/pentagon-announced-600-million-in-5g-experimentation-contracts\/\" target=_blank>deployment of 5G networks <\/a>throughout U.S. metropolitan areas will impact military aircraft and putting in place a strategy to mitigate any safety concerns, said Alan Burke, the Pentagon\u2019s chair for the interagency Aviation Cyber Initiative Task Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe approach should be not on trying to slow down 5G metro deployment, but speeding up development and testing of mitigations that can serve as an interim gap until avionics manufacturers can harden their systems,\u201d Burke said during a Jan. 7 interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/breaking-news\/2020\/12\/21\/the-military-is-scrambling-to-understand-the-aviation-crash-risk-from-a-new-5g-sale\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/helicopter_low.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The military is scrambling to understand the aviation crash risk from a new 5G sale<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">More than a dozen commercial aviation groups are warning that the sale of spectrum could lead to interference and even fatalities.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe longer-term challenge is going to be making \u2014 not just radar altimeters \u2014 but avionics systems that are resilient to out-of-band interference, understanding what that interference is and what mitigations are required.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the Trump administration\u2019s 5G FAST Plan, the FCC hopes to sell more than 5,000 new flexible-use overlay licenses for C-band spectrum in the 3.7\u20133.98 GHz frequency. The first phase of the auction, which ran from Dec. 8 to Jan. 15, received bids totaling $80.9 billion and has been billed as the highest-grossing auction of its kind in U.S. history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe FCC confronted a host of technical, legal, practical, and political challenges in structuring this auction,\u201d outgoing FCC chairman Ajit Pai said<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/document\/first-phase-record-breaking-5g-spectrum-auction-concludes\" target=_blank> in a statement<\/a>. \u201cIt would have been easy to delay. But we rightly pushed ahead and overcame every one of those obstacles. As a result, we significantly advanced United States leadership in 5G and have enabled America\u2019s wireless consumers to more quickly benefit from 5G services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But testing has shown that 5G activities in the 3.7-3.98 portion of the band could create \u201charmful interference\u201d for radar altimeters, which operate in the neighboring 4.2-4.4 GHz portion of the band, according to an October study by RTCA, a trade organization that works with the FAA to develop safety standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although RTCA looked only at radar altimeters on commercial and civil aircraft, military aircraft altimeters operate on the same part of the spectrum and could be similarly vulnerable to interference, Burke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Department officials including Burke met with leaders from the FAA, Department of Homeland Security and other stakeholder agencies on Dec. 21 to discuss the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the meeting, defense officials said representatives from Honeywell \u2014 a top supplier of radar altimeters and one of the companies who conducted research for the RTCA report \u2014 presented their findings and recommended that further testing be done for military radar altimeters. Honeywell declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The immediate problem, Burke said, is that the Defense Department does not yet have a test range capable of evaluating how 5G telecommunications impact military-specific avionic equipment like radar altimeters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re working to establish a collaborative interagency approach,\u201d Burke said. \u201cAnd that includes [establishing] a national 5G operational test range. If we wanted to do operational testing of our radar altimeters in a 5G C band environment, we don\u2019t have the capability to do that right now. And so that\u2019s a shortfall that we want to work to address.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon sees that testing as an important bargaining chip for future discussions with the FCC, which has rejected the findings of the RTCA study as being overly stringent and not representative of operational scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we want to improve on our ability to negotiate with the FCC, we have to back it up with facts \u2014 facts based on operational testing. I think the operational testing component is very important to improve our ability to make our case,\u201d Burke said. \u201cSimulations aren\u2019t adequate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3802\" height=\"2138\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-58484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg 3802w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pai_FCC.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3802px) 100vw, 3802px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai (L) during an announcement about 5G network deployment in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2019. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM \/ AFP)        (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>The road ahead<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several organizations are already building 5G test capabilities that could allow the Pentagon to do some level of assessment, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/5g\/2020\/04\/02\/pentagon-announces-final-5g-prototype-proposal\/\" target=_blank>including Hill Air Force Base in Utah,<\/a> Idaho National Laboratory and the University of Utah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense Department leaders hope to work with officials across the government to \u201cidentify what effort has the best chance of success\u201d of supporting operational testing. The department would then have to divert funding to speed up the establishment of the range to and to conduct test activities, with the hope of completing an initial assessment in 12 to 18 months, Burke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military aviation officials have told Defense News that the operations of cargo planes and aerial refueling tankers would be the most impacted by 5G interference. Certain mobility planes are approved to make landings during \u201cinstrument landing conditions,\u201d or weather scenarios where there is poor visibility and a pilot has to rely on instruments like the radar altimeter instead of visual cues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But if an aircraft\u2019s altimeter is not working due to interference, that pilot would likely have to land elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most military radar altimeters have built-in protections for high powered microwave and high intensity radiation frequencies, but right now the aviation community does not understand whether those defenses might safeguard against 5G interference, Burke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the department understands the operational impact of 5G on its aircraft, it may have to take steps to address aviation safety concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, the Pentagon is not discussing the wholesale replacement of its radar altimeters or the movement of devices to another portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, said Burke and Col. Ken Miller, who commands the Air Force Spectrum Management Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the department is looking at options such as designating \u201cairfield operational exclusion zones\u201d that block out 5G interference near airports in metropolitan areas, where interference would be the most dense and potentially harmful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another mitigation approach is the use of filters to harden radar altimeters against interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRadar altimeters already have certain filters on them,\u201d Burke said. \u201cIt\u2019s unknown how effective they would be at filtering this interference. We haven\u2019t really gone too far down the technical lane here, but we do know that those kind of things are possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, another senior government official pointed out that such measures could reduce the accuracy of the altimeter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you have a very high precision radar altimeter that\u2019s looking at a very wide bandwidth and has no filter, and you\u2019ve got to add a filter, that adds size, weight [and] power requirements and reduces performance,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further out, the Defense Department will likely need to introduce new industrial standards so that future radar altimeter designs are more tolerant of interference that occurs due to devices operating on a neighboring portion of the electromagnetic spectrum \u2014 a situation that is becoming more prevalent with the rise of 5G.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe paradigm in general is we test the devices to make sure that they\u2019re transmitting in their assigned bands and operating in their assigned bands. What we normally haven\u2019t been testing for is what we call out-of-band interference,\u201d Burke said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople are going to have to adapt to that. On the spectrum highway, we want to be able to use all the lanes, and people can\u2019t be bandwidth hogs because of their device designs. They\u2019re going to have to relook at the design of devices to be more spectrum resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Federal Aviation Administration and commercial aviation trade group have raised concerns that 5G deployment could cause interference to civil and military 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By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>As 5G auction continues, Pentagon turns to safety planning - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Federal Aviation Administration and commercial aviation trade group have raised concerns that 5G deployment could cause interference to civil and military aircraft.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"As 5G auction continues, Pentagon turns to safety planning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Federal Aviation Administration and commercial aviation trade group have raised concerns that 5G deployment could cause interference to civil and 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